Pronunciation

Noun

See also

Reporters gather their information in a variety
of ways, including tips, press
releases, and witnessing events. They perform research through
interviews, public
records, and other sources. The information-gathering part of
the job is sometimes called "reporting" as distinct from the
production part of the job, such as writing articles. Reporters
generally split their time between working in a newsroom and going out to
witness events or interview people.

Most reporters working for major news media
outlets are assigned an area to focus on, called a beat or
patch. They are encouraged to cultivate sources to improve their
information gathering.

Analyzing Reporting

It is important when reading or
watching a news report to understand how to assess the information
that is being provided. Ask the following questions: Is the
reporter being paid for the story? Ask who posted the report? Who
posted it? Who said it? What was the question? What is the answer?
Why should I believe you? How can I believe you? Do Americans
really believe this or say that? Are the words loaded? Do you
really care?(VAW, 2008, CCPOSC111)

Career

Reporters working for major Western news media
usually have a university or
college degree. The degree is sometimes in journalism, but in
most countries, that is generally not a requirement. When hiring
reporters, editors tend
to give much weight to the reporter's previous work (such as
newspaper clippings), even when written for a student
newspaper or as part of an internship.

Reporters in the UK and the United States

In the United
Kingdom, editors often require that prospective trainee
reporters have completed the NCTJ (National College
for the Training of Journalists) preliminary exams. After 18 months
to two years on the job, trainees will take a second set of exams,
known collectively as the NCE. Upon completion of the NCE, the
candidate is considered a fully-qualified senior reporter and
usually receives a (very) small pay raise. In the United States,
there is no set requirement for a particular degree (and licensing
journalists would be unconstitutional under the First Amendment),
although almost all newspapers, wire services, television news, and
radio news operations hire only college graduates and expect prior
experience in journalism, either at a student publication or
through an internship.

Although their work can also often make them into
minor celebrities, most reporters in the United
States and the United Kingdom earn relatively low salaries. It
is not uncommon for a reporter fresh out of college working at a
small newspaper to make $20,000
annually or less. But according to the 2006 survey of
journalism/mass communication graduates released in August 2007 by
Dr. Lee B. Becker (University of Georgia), the average starting
salary for a daily newspaper reporter in 2006 was $26,000, and the
average salary at a weekly newspaper was $22,880. The average
salary in radio was $23,400, while the average salary in broadcast
television was $21,840, and in cable television $25,012. Despite
many college students' perceptions that newspapers pay the most
poorly, both dailies and weeklies are paying more than broadcast
television, which actually pays the poorest of any mass
communication industry or profession (advertising graduates got
$26,988 and public relations graduates got $28,964 in 2006). Around
£12,000 is
a typical starting wage in the UK. In order to move to larger
papers, it is common for reporters to start with newspapers in
small towns and move their way up the ladder, though The
New York Times has been known to hire reporters with only a few
years experience, based on talent and expertise in particular
areas. Many reporters also start as summer interns at large papers
and then move to reporting jobs at medium sized papers. ..

The same job prospects fall into the television
reporting business, with reporters starting in small markets and
moving up the larger markets and to national news programs.